The Popularity of Gangster Films in the Early Nineteen-Thirties

The Popularity of Gangster Films in the Early Nineteen-Thirties

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The Popularity of Gangster Films in the Early Nineteen-Thirties The late 1920s in America was a particularly tumultuous period of time for the country. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 had led to high levels of unemployment and dissatisfaction within the country. The Depression (1929-1934), which was a direct result of The Wall Street Crash, led to a breakdown of industry and commerce within the country and weakened its global position as a superpower. People began to realise that the ideal which had been frequently promoted by governmental propaganda of The American Dream which suggested that "success, in the democratic and classless society guaranteed by the…show more content…

During this period the rise of urban gang rule and mobsters was unprecedented, mainly emerging from minority immigrant groups (Jewish/Italian/Irish). Initially the gangsters of the period were seen as high achievers as they were associated with the proletariat and seemed to be capable of rising above there roots, even during hard times in America, and achieve wealth. When considering the socio-economic factors it is easy to understand why such men were considered as "gangster-heroes"[3] who represented the people, however the only way that gangsters could achieve this wealth, subsequently fulfilling the American Dream, was by stealing it. "Accruing capital meant accruing power over others"[4]. Therefore it could be argued that the success gangsters exemplified was a perverse form of the American dream as it disregarded some of the key elements of the ideal. The fact that at this stage in America gangsters were the only group within society who could make upward mobility believable, "tells much about how legitimate institutions had failed - but that mobility was still at the core of what Americans held to be the American dream"[5].

In the early 1930's productions began within Hollywood of what were commonly described as "social problem pictures"[6], these films dealt specifically with the social difficulties of the period such as unemployment/labour struggles ("Black

Malcolm Michels Navarro
November 15, 2015
HST 111 – Early Modern Europe
Thirty Years Wasted
The Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648) was a large influence in the pivotal turning point that changed European history for the decades to come. The long, painful war was composed of a series of battles that were primarily fought on German soil with several nations taking part. It was commonly seen to have begun when the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II of Bohemia attempted to restrain other religious activities…

Women were constantly restrained during the early nineteen-thirties, keeping them from expressing their individuality. They were constantly facing societal expectations. Women also faced others challenges as well, such as the different expectations from people in their social classes. These multiple expectations created a barrier for many women that few dared to break. These expectations led to a constant schedule for these women, making it so their whole life was already planned ahead for them…

Film genres are categories, classifications or groups of films that have a similar, familiar or instantly recognizable patterns, techniques or conventions that include one or more of the following: setting, content, themes, plot, motifs, styles, structures, situations, characters, and stars (filmsite.org and notes). There are many categories of film genre. These categories can cover practically any film ever made by man, although film categories can never be precise. By isolating the various elements…

African American Women in Early Film
In early film many African American actresses portrayed roles as mammies, slaves, seductresses, and maids. These roles suppressed them not allowing them to show their true talents. Although they had to take on these degrading roles, they still performed with dignity, elegance, grace and style. They paved the way for many actresses to follow both blacks and whites. These women showed the film industry that they were more than slaves, mammies, and maids…

In focusing on literature and film from the late nineteenth- and early twentieth centuries, Somerville demonstrates how “emerging models of homo- and heterosexuality at the turn of the twentieth century were embedded within discourses of race and racialization, particularly bifurcated constructions of ‘black’ and ‘white’ bodies’” (175). Noting that the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case, in which the government’s right to determine an individual’s racial identity was affirmed, emerged…

ABSTRACT
Popularity of family films among the Indian youth from bollywood has been declining because of the upcoming genres in the Indian cinema such as movies based on comedy, thriller, horror, youth oriented, society art based and many more.
Since the new generation prefers movies based on new concepts such as movies based on action , animation society and culture that leads to the stepping out of the family films from the on – going film industry scenario . So therefore family films are produced…

Look, Up On The Screen!: The Popularity Of Superhero Films
A common trend in modern day film is the recent popularity of movies based on comic-book superheroes. This trend has the potential to become very commonplace or eventually fizzle out in the near future. The superhero film genre has existed for over 20 years, but didn’t grow to epic proportions until the 2000 release “X-Men”. The popular characters of the Marvel magazine had been confined to comics or television because the effects required…

The Failure of the League of Nations to Keep Peace in the Nineteen-Thirties
After World War One in 1919 the allies created the League of Nations.
It had a simple "raison d'etre", that was to prevent war. Its chief
architect was
President Woodrow Wilson of USA. However, upon its creation the United
States did not join. Throughout its years the league faced many
problems and struggled, however it managed to stay together for 20
years. During its existence some of the main…

'The Godfather' is the most revolutionary gangster film of all time,
it rewrote the gangster genre in such a stylized way that all latter
gangster films have conformed to this genre but also evolved it as
films have progressed.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola 'The Godfather' re-invented the
gangster genre elevating it to a Hollywood status and making it
commercially profitable. It looks into the life of the 'Corleone'
family and represents America at that point in…

A literary adaptation is defined as “a composition that has been recast into a new form e.g novel, play or screen production”. (Ross, 2009, p.5) It has been noted that almost a third of all film productions ever created were based on novel adaptations, and in today’s contemporary society the ‘book to film’ adaptation cycle is more present than ever. Although this could to seen as an innocent move allowing ‘great’ texts to be more approachable and appreciated by modern culture, it has been argued…